stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
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stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s stc announced on Sunday the company’s preliminary financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, reporting revenues of SAR19,210 million, a 1.60% increase year-over-year.

Gross profit rose by 5.01% to SAR9,098 million, operating profit increased by 2.02% to SAR3,584 million, and EBITDA grew by 5.25% to SAR6,120 million. Net profit for the quarter reached SAR3,649 million, representing an 11.05% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to a statement issued by stc, the group distributed SAR0.55 per share for the first quarter of 2025, in accordance with the dividends distribution policy approved by the General Assembly.

Commenting on the results, CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth, as well as its relentless pursuit of creating added value for shareholders, customers, and the digital economy as a whole.

He further added that, early in 2025, stc Group achieved several strategic milestones that further solidified its position in the telecommunications and information technology sector. Among these achievements was a new global milestone, as the group successfully localized the software for eSIM technology in collaboration with Thales, making stc the first telecom operator in the world to obtain SAS-UP license certification from the GSMA.

He emphasized that this accomplishment complements stc’s ongoing efforts to support local content in the ICT sector through business localization and the transfer of manufacturing and technical expertise to the Kingdom.
In continuation of the group’s efforts to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region, stc signed a strategic agreement with Ooredoo to establish an international ground fiber network corridor between Saudi Arabia and Oman. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region through the project, which starts with the Saudi-Oman corridor. The project will also create an integrated ground fiber network with two backup routes, connecting submarine cable landing stations on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia to their counterparts on the Arabian Sea in Oman, passing through dedicated data centers in both countries. This agreement reaffirms the Group’s commitment to delivering advanced communication solutions, enhancing intercontinental connectivity, and driving digital transformation to support the region’s economic growth.
The statement added that stc Group strengthened its position in cloud computing and artificial intelligence by signing an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This partnership significantly boosts the Group’s ability to deliver advanced technological solutions tailored to the diverse needs of various sectors, while reaffirming its commitment to driving the shift toward an integrated digital economy and leading the future of smart technology in the Kingdom and beyond.
Furthermore, as part of its commitment to providing the highest quality of digital services, stc Group enhanced its telecommunications network in the Two Holy Mosques during the holy month of Ramadan by strengthening its infrastructure to meet the growing demand for services during peak times. This upgrade resulted in a 120% increase in connection speed, enabling the Group to ensure an exceptional communication experience for visitors to the holy sites during the peak visitor periods.



Toyota Industries Sinks after Parent's Takeover Bid Misses Expectations

A Toyota Logo is seen at a Toyota dealership in Zaventem, Belgium, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
A Toyota Logo is seen at a Toyota dealership in Zaventem, Belgium, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
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Toyota Industries Sinks after Parent's Takeover Bid Misses Expectations

A Toyota Logo is seen at a Toyota dealership in Zaventem, Belgium, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
A Toyota Logo is seen at a Toyota dealership in Zaventem, Belgium, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

Investors gave a thumbs-down to Toyota Motor's $33 billion take-private offer for Toyota Industries on Wednesday, highlighting concerns minority shareholders would be short-changed in a landmark restructuring for Japan Inc.

Shares of Toyota Industries, a key Toyota Group company, fell 12% in Tokyo trade a day after the world's top-selling automaker unveiled plans to take the subsidiary private. The complex 4.7 trillion yen ($33 billion) transaction includes an offer price of 16,300 yen a share for Toyota Industries.

While that represents a 23% premium to the price before word of the deal broke in April, it is well below the 18,400 yen price before the offer was formally announced. Shares closed at 16,205 yen on Wednesday.

"To be clear, we welcome the attempt to clear up the parent-subsidiary governance issue. We don't like the price," said David Mitchinson, founding partner and chief investment officer of Zennor Asset Management, which owns Toyota Industries shares, Reuters reported.

When asked if Zennor would tender its shares, he said: "We will have to see how this develops as there seems strong opposition from many shareholders".

The deal will see a number of Toyota Group companies unwind cross-shareholdings, something Japanese regulators and the Tokyo Stock Exchange have long urged for better governance.

Toyota Industries has been one of Japan's most prominent examples of so-called "parent-child listings", where both a parent company and its subsidiary are listed. Governance experts say such cases are inherently unfair to minority shareholders and a drag on corporate value.

Still, the transaction comes up short in terms of corporate governance, as it both undervalues Toyota Industries' substantial real estate holdings and strengthens the founding Toyoda family's control over the broader group, market participants said.

"There's huge hidden asset value in the land and other holdings at Toyota Industries. And the price should have been much higher," Nicholas Benes, a governance expert and the CEO of the Board Training Institute of Japan, told a briefing on Wednesday.

The deal was a "prime example" of a squeeze-out of minority shareholders at an unfair price by founders and management, he said.

In a statement, Toyota Motor said the interests of Toyota Industries' minority shareholders were being considered. "Taking into account shareholder returns and the tax benefits for Toyota Industries, we have adopted a share buyback scheme" through a tender offer, it said.

It said the deal was part of a broader realignment of capital structures within the Toyota Group as it moved toward becoming a mobility company.

A new holding company will be set up for the deal. Group real estate company Toyota Fudosan will invest 180 billion yen, while Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor's chairman, will invest 1 billion yen. Toyota Motor will invest 700 billion yen in non-voting preferred shares.

Media reports had indicated the tender offer would be around $42 billion, a substantial premium to the actual offer.

Toyota Motor and group companies Aisin, Denso and Toyota Tsusho will all sell their shares in Toyota Industries and acquire their own shares now held by it.

Toyota owned about 24% of Toyota Industries as of September last year, while Toyota Industries held around 9% of the automaker and more than 5% of Denso.

Toyota Industries, formerly Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, was founded in 1926 to make automatic looms. An automotive division within the company was set up and later spun off as Toyota Motor.